Leaked photos: is this the new iPhone 6?

By Tim Biggs

New images apparently leaked by an Apple tester appear to show a near-final iPhone 6, complete in its retail packaging.

While extensive and detailed leaks preceding an Apple launch is certainly nothing new, the iPhone 6 reports – including that the phone will be revealed on September 9 and released on September 19 – have been incredible in their frequency and detail.

If legitimate, these latest images – provided to Tech Radar – would seem to confirm several of the new phone's rumoured features, including:

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An aluminium chassis

The apparent iPhone 6.Credit:Tech Radar

While the scuttlebutt was briefly that Apple's new phone would be covered entirely in glass, another rumour had it that the iPhone 6 would feature an aluminium and glass look, much like the one sported in these images.

Recently it was suggested the screen would be made of near-indestructible sapphire glass (a claim quickly diminished by analysts), but it's not possible to tell what kind of glass is pictured here.

A larger size

While the quality of these images makes a proper size a little tricky to deduce, the screen size relative to the unit's thickness and home button would seem to confirm the ever-present rumours of the iPhone 6 approaching or exceeding 5 inches.

The "leaked" retail packaging.Credit:Tech Radar

The rumours, first published in March, have it that Apple will release two versions of the new phone, one with a screen of 4.7 inches and one of 5.5 inches. The current iPhone 5S has a 4-inch screen.

A slimmer look

Possibly facilitated by the overall larger dimensions, the iPhone 6 has been rumoured to be noticeably thinner than previous models while still improving on battery performance.

A report from Apple Insider suggests the smaller iPhone 6 will move a 15 per cent bump up in battery capacity over the iPhone 5S, while the larger 5.5-inch model will receive a 60 per cent bump. The battery for the larger phone would still be significantly smaller than that of the Samsung Galaxy S5 though, in an attempt to keep the iPhone 6 as slim as possible.

Tech Radar cautions that, as the source of the images is not previously known to the publication, it is "not saying with 100 per cent confidence" that the photos are authentic.

However, after putting them through testing to detect possible digital manipulation, it has "no reason" to believe they are fake.

One point of note that could work against the veracity of the images is the seeming lack of iOS 8.

The new mobile operating system is set to launch alongside the new phones, yet the home screen shown on the retail packaging appears very similar if not identical to that of iOS 7, and announced apps such as HomeKit and HealthKit are absent.

Further cause for scepticism are the raised volume buttons and visible bezel (the black border around the screen), both of which are inconsistent with previous reports.

Regardless of which rumours and reports turn out to be accurate, the one thing that appears to be certain is that this won't be the last iPhone 6 leak we see ahead of the expected September launch.